German Workbook For Dummies E-Book

Wendy Foster

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fremdsprachen
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 541

Beschreibung

Sprechen sie Deutsch? Learn this fun language with Dummies German Workbook For Dummies is for German beginners who want to get started learning the official language of 7 countries. Packed with foundational grammar and integrated vocab, German Workbook For Dummies will set new language learners on their way to an exciting experience learning this complex language. Inside, you'll find plenty of practice for an experience that supports how people learn languages most effectively. As you make your way through the workbook, your confidence will grow as you discover how to handle greetings and introductions, make small talk, and understand daily encounters... auf Deutsch! * Practice your speaking and writing skills in German * Grasp the basics of German grammar * Learn functional vocabulary and common slang * Complete exercises and activities to build your confidence With a little help from Dummies, you'll excel in your German studies.

Leseprobe

German Workbook For Dummies®

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2023 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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ISBN: 978-1-119-98667-6 (pbk); 978-1-119-98668-3 (ebk); 978-1-119-98669-0 (ebk)

German Workbook For Dummies®

To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “German Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part 1: The Basic Building Blocks of German

Chapter 1: Laying the Foundations of German

Saying Hello and Goodbye

Figuring Out How Subject Pronouns Fit with Verbs

Doing the Numbers

Was Ist das Datum?: Expressing Dates

On the Clock: Expressing Time

Answers to “Laying the Foundations of German” Practice Questions

Chapter 2: Assembling the Basic Tools for German Sentences

Grasping German Grammar Terms

Finding Meaning through Context

Using a Bilingual Dictionary

Answers to “Assembling the Basic Tools for German Sentences” Practice Questions

Chapter 3: Sorting Out Word Gender and Case

Rounding Up Grammatical Genders

Calling All Cases: The Roles That Nouns and Pronouns Play

Putting Pronouns in Place

Answers to “Sorting Out Word Gender and Case” Practice Questions

Chapter 4: Building Your Word Power

Working with Word Combinations

Grasping Word Families and Word Categories

Streamlining Word Storage

Answers to “Building Your Word Power” Practice Questions

Part 2: Focusing on the Present

Chapter 5: Grasping the Present Tense

Getting Your Verbs in Shape: Present-Tense Conjugations

Using the Very Versatile Present Tense

Answers to “Grasping the Present Tense” Practice Questions

Chapter 6: Asking and Answering Intelligently; Giving Orders

Inverting Word Order for Yes/No Questions

Gathering Information with Question Words: Who, What, Why, and More

Checking Information: Tag! You’re It, Aren’t You?

Using the Imperative: Do It!

Responding with No: The Difference between Kein and Nicht

Answers to “Asking and Answering Intelligently: Giving Orders” Practice Questions

Chapter 7: In the Mood: Combining Verbs with Modal Auxiliaries

The 4-1-1 on Modal Verbs

May I?: Dürfen, the Permission Verb

You Can Do It!: Können, the Ability Verb

I Like That: Mögen, the Likeable Verb

What Would You Like?: Möchten, the Preference Verb

Do I Have To?: Müssen, the Verb of Necessity

Should I or Shouldn’t I?: Sollen, the Duty Verb

I Want to Be Famous: Wollen, the Intention Verb

Answers to “In the Mood: Combining Verbs with Modal Auxiliaries” Practice Questions

Chapter 8: Sorting Out Separable- and Inseparable-Prefix Verbs

Looking at the Prefix

Simplifying Separable-Prefix Verbs

Investigating Inseparable-Prefix Verbs

Answers to “Sorting Out Separable- and Inseparable-Prefix Verbs” Practice Questions

Part 3: Adding Flair to Your Conversations

Chapter 9: Sounding More Like a Native with Verb Combinations

Set in Their Ways: Grasping Idiomatic Verb Expressions

In the Looking Glass: Reflecting on Reflexive Verbs

Combining Verbs with Prepositions

Answers to “Sounding More Like a Native with Verb Combinations” Practice Questions

Chapter 10: Adding Adjectives for Description

Organizing Adjectives: Opposites, Cognates, and Collocations

Helping Adjectives Meet a Satisfying End

Using Possessive Adjectives: My Place or Your Place?

Answers to “Adding Adjectives for Description” Practice Questions

Chapter 11: Comparing with Adjectives and Adverbs

Comparing Regular Adjectives and Adverbs: Fast, Faster, Fastest

Using Irregular Comparison Forms

Identifying Unique Adjective and Adverb Groups

Answers to “Comparing with Adjectives and Adverbs” Practice Questions

Chapter 12: Connecting with Conjunctions

Conjunctions and Clauses: Terminating Terminology Tangles

Connecting with Coordinating Conjunctions

Connecting with Subordinating Conjunctions

Answers to “Connecting with Conjunctions” Practice Questions

Chapter 13: Your Preposition Primer

Prepping for Prepositions: Basic Guidelines

Accusative, Dative, and Genitive Cases: How the Rest of the Phrase Shapes Up

Tackling Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative/Dative

Answers to “Your Preposition Primer” Practice Questions

Part 4: Looking Back and Ahead: Talking about the Past and the Future

Chapter 14: Conversing about the Past: Perfecting the Present Perfect

Forming the Present Perfect with Haben

Forming the Present Perfect with Sein

Eyeing the Present Perfect: German versus English

Answers to “Conversing about the Past: Perfecting the Present Perfect” Practice Questions

Chapter 15: Narrating the (Simple) Past: Fact and Fiction

Conjugating the Simple Past

Contrasting Tenses

Answers to “Narrating the (Simple) Past: Fact and Fiction” Practice Questions

Chapter 16: Looking to the Future (And Avoiding It)

The Future Is Now: Using the Present Tense Instead

Facing the Future with Werden

Answers to “Looking to the Future (And Avoiding It)” Practice Questions

Part 5: The Part of Tens

Chapter 17: Ten Tips for Optimizing Your German

Think Like a Native Speaker

Break Down Word Combinations

Use What You Know

Get Going on Grammar

Read and Listen Actively

Experiment with What Works Best

Germanify Your Home

Integrate German into Your Routine

Embrace the Culture

Set Goals and Reward Yourself

Chapter 18: Ten Pitfalls to Avoid in German

Attempting Word-for-Word Translations

Downplaying Gender and Case

Wondering Which Word Order

Think, Thought, Thunk: (Mis)handling Verbs

(Mis)Placing Prepositions and Prefixes

Skipping Capitalization and Umlauts

Slipping on Super-Slick Sentences

Being Informal on the Wrong Occasion

Rejecting Review

Giving Up

Part 6: Appendixes

Appendix A: Verb Charts

Conjugating Verbs in Present and Simple Past Tenses

Conjugating Verbs in the Present Perfect and Future

Weak Verbs

Strong Verbs

Separable-Prefix Verbs

Inseparable-Prefix Verbs (without Ge- Prefix in the Past Participle)

Auxiliary Verbs Haben, Sein, and Werden

Modal Auxiliary Verbs

Principal Parts of Weak Verbs

Appendix B: English-German Dictionary

Appendix C: German-English Dictionary

Index

About the Author

Connect with Dummies

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Chapter 1

Table 1-1 Saying Hello and Goodbye

Table 1-2 Subject Pronouns

Table 1-3 Cardinal Numbers 1–29

Table 1-4 Cardinal Numbers 30–999

Table 1-5 Numbers over 999

Table 1-6 Ordinal Numbers

Table 1-7 Expressing Time

Chapter 2

Table 2-1 Parts of Speech

Chapter 3

Table 3-1 Common Genders by Noun Ending (or Beginning)

Table 3-2 Common Noun Genders by Subject

Table 3-3 The Five German Plural Groups

Table 3-4 German Words That Mean The

Table 3-5 German Personal Pronouns

Chapter 5

Table 5-1 English Present-Tense Translations for German Present Tense

Table 5-2 Future and Present Perfect Tense Translations for German Present

Chapter 6

Table 6-1 Question Words and Example Questions

Table 6-2 The Four Cases of Wer and Example Questions

Table 6-3 The Three German Imperative Forms of You

Table 6-4 Guidelines for Positioning Nicht

Table 6-5 Endings of Kein

Chapter 7

Table 7-1 German Modal Verbs

Table 7-2 Uses of Dürfen In Polite Conversation

Table 7-3 Uses of Können without a Main Verb

Table 7-4 Uses of Können with a Reflexive Verb

Chapter 8

Table 8-1 Separable Prefixes and Verb Combinations

Table 8-2 Inseparable Prefixes and Verb Combinations

Chapter 9

Table 9-1 Reflexive Pronouns: Accusative and Dative Case

Table 9-2 Reflexive Verbs: The Daily Routine

Table 9-3 Idiomatic Verb Expressions with Accusative Prepositions

Table 9-4 Idiomatic Verb Expressions with Dative Prepositions

Chapter 10

Table 10-1 Adjectives of Personal Appearance and Traits

Table 10-2 Adjectives of Weather

Table 10-3 Common Endings of German Adjectives

Table 10-4 Adjective Endings Not Preceded by Der- or Ein- Words

Table 10-5 Preceded Adjective Endings

Table 10-6 Possessive Adjective Endings and First-Person Examples

Chapter 11

Table 11-1 Regular Comparison Forms

Table 11-2 Irregular Comparison Forms

Chapter 12

Table 12-1 Common Coordinating Conjunctions

Table 12-2 Common Subordinating Conjunctions

Chapter 13

Table 13-1 Accusative Prepositions

Table 13-2 Dative Prepositions

Table 13-3 Genitive Prepositions

Table 13-4 Two-Way Prepositions

Chapter 14

Table 14-1 Past Participles of Regular Weak Verbs

Table 14-2 Past Participles of Irregular Weak Verbs

Table 14-3 Past Participles of Strong Verbs

Table 14-4 Verbs Conjugated with Sein in the Present Perfect

Chapter 15

Table 15-1 Simple Past of Irregular Verbs Resembling English Verbs

Table 15-2 Simple Past of Common Irregular Verbs (Noncognates)

Table 15-3 Modal Verbs in Simple Past Tense

Table 15-4 German Usage of Past Tenses

Chapter 16

Table 16-1 Future Using Werden

Appendix A

Table A-1 Present-Tense and Simple-Past-Tense Verb Endings

Table A-2 Principal Parts of Strong and Irregular Weak Verbs

Guide

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

Index

About the Author

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Introduction

You may have had German Workbook For Dummies delivered to your doorstep, or you were opening birthday presents, and … surprise! No matter how you came across this book, acquiring more German helps you in a myriad of ways. You cannot help noticing that globalization is taking place at an ever-increasing pace. German is spoken by more members of the European Union than any other language, and Germany plays a leading economic role in the European Union. You may be a businessperson, adventurer, or avid language learner; it doesn’t matter. At some point in your life, you’re bound to come in contact with German. So get a head start and be ready to communicate, travel, and — most of all — have some fun auf Deutsch(in German).

Using this book builds your confidence in no time. Well, okay, you do need some free hours here and there, but the time you do spend using this book will pay off down the road. Consider what you can gain from German Workbook For Dummies as the equivalent of having invested a huge chunk of money, time, and effort at the local health club to become super-fit for a trek across the Alps. The obvious difference is that you have to plunk out only a small chunk of change, plus some time and effort, to reap personal and professional gain.

About This Book

German Workbook For Dummies is your key to success in becoming confident using German. In this book, you get basic skills, straight talk, the nitty-gritty, and enough detail to see you successfully through any major and minor roadblocks to communicating in German.

You’ll find this book very user-friendly because you can go through it in any order you choose, zeroing in on your priorities. You can skim or, better, skip the grammar you don’t need. Use the book to find answers to specific questions you may have on a topic that comes up while you’re acquiring useful language. All the chapters have ample practice exercises following the grammar explanations so you can check whether you’ve grasped the material. Flip to the end of the chapter, and you’ll find the answer key for the exercises, with explanations pertinent to problematic usage. Without even realizing it, you’ll find your German vocabulary expanding as you cruise through the book. The example sentences and exercises use practical, everyday German that let you flex your vocabulary muscles as you complete the tasks. Most important, as you go through this book, Viel Spaß!(Have a lot of fun!)

Conventions Used in This Book

To make your progress go as smoothly as possible, I use some conventions in this book that can help you spot essential elements in the text and exercises:

I boldface the essential elements in verb tables, which may be information such as verb endings or irregular conjugations. Elsewhere, I boldface German words and example sentences.

I italicize English translations that accompany German words and sentences. I also italicize English terms that I immediately follow with a definition.

The answer key at the end of each chapter has not only the solutions to the practice exercises (in bold), but also italicized English translations. Answers have explanations when I feel it’s important to clarify why the answer given is the correct one.

Before each group of practice exercises, I provide an example exercise in Q&A format to show you how to complete the task. The example (Q.) is followed by the answer (A.) and an explanation for that answer, as needed.

Foolish Assumptions

In writing German Workbook For Dummies, I made the following assumptions about you, dear reader:

Your goal is to build your knowledge of German so that you feel comfortable with communicating in the language. (Alternatively, you want to dream in German.)

You’re willing to jump into German at the deep end and start swimming, even if you need some water wings at first. Or perhaps you’re already acquainted with some basics of German grammar and want to get going full steam ahead.

You don’t want to be burdened by long-winded explanations of unnecessary grammatical terms; neither do you care to hold a scholarly discussion in German about Goethe’s

Faust.

You just want to you express yourself in clear and reasonably accurate German.

You’re enthusiastic about having some fun while honing your German skills because the last thing you want from this book is to be reminded of boring school days, when success meant figuring out how to (a) sleep and learn at the same time, (b) skip class and not be missed, and/or (c) wrap the teacher around your little finger so that no matter what you did, you still got good grades.

If any of these statements describes you, you’re ready to get started using this book. Willkommen!(Welcome!)

How This Book Is Organized

This book is divided into six parts. The first four parts are divided into several chapters each, containing explanations, tables, and exercises. In the last two parts, you find practical learning tips and the appendix with charts, tables, and a mini dictionary. Here’s the preview.

Part 1: The Basic Building Blocks of German

In this part, you find out how to introduce yourself and start a simple conversation. You acquaint yourself with the world of nouns and verbs, numbers and dates, word order and more fundamentals. See the mysteries of gender and case unveiled. Part 1 also contains a practical guide to increasing your word power exponentially. You become familiar with techniques that help you retrieve newly acquired vocabulary and expressions.

Part 2: Focusing on the Present

Here you get the tools needed to construct sentences in the present tense. I give you ample practice combining nouns and pronouns with verbs. I include info on asking and answering questions, as well as agreeing and disagreeing. This part also shows you the seven modal verbs that help you be polite, ask for help, and talk about what you can do, want to do, would like to do, should do, or must do.

Part 3: Adding Flair to Your Conversations

You want to sound like a native, right? This part helps you find out how to express yourself using two-part verbs and reflexive verbs. It also delves into the finer points of expressing yourself using adjectives of description. The chapters here show you how to put adjectives and adverbs to work for you by making comparisons, show how to connect shorter ideas with conjunctions, and touch on using prepositions.

Part 4: Talking about the Past and the Future

In this part, you practice expressing yourself using past and future verbs. You become familiar with the difference between the conversational past and the simple (narrative) past, and you see how to choose the correct verb form to express yourself in the future.

Part 5: The Part of Tens

Here you find my top ten easy and useful tips for optimizing your German (in other words, how to make your German the best it can be). I close things out with a list of pitfalls to avoid.

Part 6: Appendixes

The three appendixes provide an assortment of references to help you communicate successfully in German. The first appendix includes verb tables for conjugating verbs. The second and third appendixes are the mini-dictionaries, which allow you to find the meaning of a German word you don’t understand or the German equivalent of an English word.

Icons Used in This Book

Consider these icons to be key points as you take the journey through this book. You find them in the margins throughout. The icons include the following:

Helpful hints like these would’ve made it a whole lot easier for me to feel more comfortable using German when I was first living in Bavaria, stumbling along in my shaky German.

The Warning icon points out hidden dangers you may encounter as you journey through the deep forest of tangled words, slippery sentence structure, and the like.

This icon alerts you to key information that’s worth revisiting. You want to stash this info in your mind because you’ll end up using it again and again.

Pay attention to these key points. By noticing similarities and differences between German and English, you see patterns that show you how to assemble German into meaningful statements.

This icon marks the core learning tool in this book: a set of exercises designed for you to check your progress. Grab a pencil and get started.

Beyond the Book

In addition to what you’re reading right now, this book comes with a free, access-anywhere Cheat Sheet containing some must-have basic vocabulary and an overview of German grammar. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and type German Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the search box.

Where to Go from Here

Part 1 helps you assess what you already know or don’t know. The other parts build up the confidence you need to expand your German horizons. Work at your own pace, proceeding in any order you choose. Skip sections you’re not ready to do yet. If you don’t get the hang of a section, reread the explanation, check out the example sentences, or look at the first couple of solutions in the answer key.

Any time you feel like you’re losing steam, mach eine Pause(take a break), close your eyes, and dream about die Romantische Straße (the Romantic Road, an enchanting route through some of the most picturesque parts of southern Germany). Before you realize it, you’ll be dreaming of storybook castles and court jesters auf Deutsch(in German)!

Part 1

The Basic Building Blocks of German

IN THIS PART …

Meet and greet people

Start a conversation

Get introduced to basic grammar principles

Deal with numbers

Build vocabulary efficiently

Use bilingual dictionaries effectively